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Thursday, 19 January 2017

Assembly’s resolution okays three more months for Jammeh

FOLLOWING the resolution passed
yesterday by The Gambia’s National Assembly, President Yahya Jammeh, who
lost last year’s December 1 election, will stay in office for three
months. The parliament passed the resolution hours when Jammeh was due
to leave power.

The decision announced on state
television has heightened tension with leaders of the West African bloc
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), who have threatened
sanctions or military force to make Jammeh hand over to opposition
leader Adama Barrow, who won the election.

Jammeh on Tuesday declared a state of
emergency, saying it was to prevent a power vacuum pending the Supreme
Court ruling on his petition challenging the election result. The
National Assembly resolution almost gave the government authority to
prevent Adama’s inauguration.

As of the time of filing this report,
Barrow was said to be in Senegal and could, in theory, be sworn in as
president at the Gambian embassy in that country, which is technically
on Gambian soil.

Gambia is one of Africa’s smallest
countries and has had just two rulers since independence in 1965. Jammeh
seized power in a coup in 1994 and his government has gained a
reputation among ordinary Gambians and human rights activists for
torturing and killing opponents.

ew people expected him to lose the
election and the result was greeted with joy by many in the country and
by democracy advocates across the continent, particularly when Jammeh
initially said he would accept the result and step down.

Jammeh’s decision to reverse that
position created political turmoil. At least five ministers have
resigned from his government, hundreds of people have fled to
neighbouring Senegal and others in the country say they fear violence.

British tour operator Thomas Cook
started evacuating nearly 1,000 holidaymakers yesterday. It said on its
website it was laying on extra flights in the next 48 hours to remove
985 package tour customers.

It was also trying to contact a further
2,500 ‘flight only’ tourists in Gambia to arrange for their departure on
the earliest available flight, it said in a statement.

Gambia’s economy relies on one main
crop, peanuts, and tourism. Its beaches are popular with European
holidaymakers seeking a winter break.